Brighton’s Gin Journey - a gindecently fun afternoon supping the good stuff

Brighton Gin Journey. Photo by Madeleine Penfold

The term ‘journey’ is over-used these days with reality TV stars and sports people describing their dull personal experiences as if they were Homer’s Odyssey.

But the Brighton Gin Journey is an entirely different kettle of juniper berries, and is the sort of civilised cocktail-heavy journey you’ll be hoping for on a summer Saturday in Sussex.

After taking the capital by storm the people behind the Gin Journey spread their wings to Liverpool, Leeds, Manchester, Prague, Singapore and on World Gin Day (June 7) they hosted only their second event in good old BN1.

It’s a great time to be gin-guzzler/connoisseur. As Prosecco finally starts to lose its fizz in Blighty, gin sales have surged and have overtaken vodka for the first time in the UK .

Gin Guardians Jake and Kate. Photo by Madeleine Penfold

The Brighton Gin Journey promised a chauffered-tour around some thoroughly groovy cocktail bars, tasting plenty of the good stuff in the company of a ‘gin guardian’ who would regale us with a splash of history and a good measure of tasting notes on some of the new gins and cocktails to be found in Brighton and Hove.

For their latest B&H jaunt, we were doubly blessed with Jake, a lively likeable sort who certainly knows and loves his liquor, and the lovely Kate who has been with the Gin Journey since its inception in 2013, and is more effervescent than a whole crate of tonic water.

The revels began at The Fix Bar in Regency Square, and with the sun comfortably over the yard-arm it was a respectable enough time for a sample of the first super Sussex spirit of the day. Foxhole Gin is a smooth aromatic London Dry-style gin from the Bolney Wine Estate, which was followed by an appropriately refreshing long Foxhole gin cocktail (given the relatively early start of day) mixed with a vermouth from Arundel.

This would be the pattern of the afternoon as we sashayed around five fabulous bars – a sample of a gin first, then a gin cocktail, with some interesting tidbits imparted along the way.

A motely crew of gin-gobblers at Plotting Parlour

After a mini-bus journey which would have made John Prescott blush (Regency Square to Preston Street, albeit the long way) venue two was the fabulously named and sustainably-sourced Gung Ho!